President Donald Trump is still weighing military action against Iran, even as US and Israeli intelligence assessments indicate Tehran’s nuclear program does not currently pose an immediate threat, according to American and European officials.
A special report by The New York Times said that six months after US air strikes in June, intelligence agencies have found little evidence Iran has resumed high-level uranium enrichment or taken concrete steps towards building a nuclear warhead — raising questions inside Washington and allied capitals about the timing and rationale behind renewed threats of force.
Trump last June warned Iran that if it did not “make peace…future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.”
He echoed that message this week while pressing Tehran to return to negotiations.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the president’s stance remains unchanged.
“The world’s number one state sponsor of terror can never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon,” she said, adding that Trump “means what he says.”
Pentagon buildup, intelligence doubts
The administration has paired its tough rhetoric with a substantial military buildup in the Middle East, deploying the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, additional fighter jets, missile defence systems, and tens of thousands of US troops.
Privately, however, senior officials acknowledge deep uncertainty about how a renewed conflict with Iran might unfold.
Speaking at a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the consequences of a potential collapse of Iran’s leadership remain unclear.
“That’s an open question,” Rubio said, noting that power in Iran is divided between Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to the report, intelligence agencies believe much of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile that was struck last year remains buried and inaccessible, making rapid weaponisation unlikely.
Democrats push diplomacy
Some Democratic lawmakers have voiced concern over the administration’s approach.
Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado said the United States should focus on diplomacy rather than threats of force.
“What we need is a permanent and verifiable agreement to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon,” he said.
The debate underscores a widening gap between the administration’s public posture and intelligence assessments that suggest Iran’s nuclear program is not currently on the brink of producing a bomb.
